Family Lost & Family Found
by depressedchildren
Summary: Alternative title: Cadmus' Project Batman Beyond Anomaly. Each decision creates a ripple of changes; new possibilities open up and others are shut down. The unthinkable may be done in the name of justice, in the name of hope, but drastic measures are taken, and three lonely lives are changed forever. Bat-family centric.
1. Chapter 1: Ripples of Change

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Batman Beyond _or _Young Justice_, they belong to their respective producers, writers, animators, etc. I gain nothing but writing and editing experience, as well as a fun writing outlet.

**Summary: **Each decision creates a ripple of changes; new possibilities open up and others are shut down. The unthinkable may be done in the name of justice, in the name of hope, but drastic measures are taken, and three lonely lives are changed forever.

**A/N: **This is a side project of mine and so it won't be updated all that regularly because I have far too many projects going on right now that I really should be concentrating on but…well, in the words of Jeanette Winterson "Creativity is on the side of health—it isn't the thing that drives us mad; it is the capacity in us that tries to save us from madness" (_Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal, _171). Hence I'm writing this when I really shouldn't be, but I need a creative output.

Anyways…This may be a bit different than other cross-over fanfics and because _Batman Beyond_ is my favorite of the two, there will be much more of its continuity than _Young Justice_. Although this will focus around Terry, this first chapter begins with Andrea Beaumont and her choices. Please enjoy ~ with love, depressedchildren

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**Chapter 1: **Ripples of Change

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**Neo-Gotham.1**

Andrea Beaumont took her assignments seriously, and she would complete the assignments perfectly—except when a certain ex-lover of hers interfered. She demanded appropriate compensation for her troubles and the "moral conflicts" associated with her line of profession. There was seldom a job she would turn away from, seldom a target she could not eliminate, yet…as she stared at this happy family walking home from the cinema, she was reminded of the emptiness in her own life and the emptiness in her ex-lover's life.

This young boy before her was happy. He was walking between his parents as they went to pick up their younger son from the nanny after their movie. They were normal, but had she been normal? Had _he _been normal? And where were they now; both lonely and hurt by each other. Could she kill this boy's parents and leave this little boy like _him_, like her Bruce?

Part of her heart still ached for him, but she had blown it with him and he had blown it with her. They did not know how to love; not really… Love was loss to them, and they hurt each other as they tried to love each other. Andrea saw that now as she looked back on their lives.

Their short engagement had been the first time that Bruce had truly considered hanging up the cape, and why wouldn't he want to give up the life? He had nearly lost them all: Robin, Batgirl, Nightingale, and Nightwing. And then it was revealed she was a criminal and he continued the life instead of settling down with her, though with good reason, she had to admit.

They were traumatized by their respective parents' deaths to the point that love was seldom experienced and seldom lasted. So how could she do this to that happy, little boy and his brother? No she couldn't. Andrea lowered her arm, the orange lights on her gauntlet dimmed.

She would tell Waller this was not the way to go, and that this went against what Batman stood for; Batman did not kill. Unlike her, he found justice in putting the criminals away and not in a grave. She envied him in that way, but her heart was hardened, perhaps more than his. If Waller wanted a new Batman, she had best find another way because this could never be a possibility. That little eight-year-old deserved a proper loving life, a life where he learned to love unlike her and Bruce. That little boy deserved a life with loving, living parents.

**Neo-Gotham.2**

Andrea Beaumont took her assignments seriously, and she would complete the assignments perfectly—except when a certain ex-lover of hers interfered. She demanded appropriate compensation for her troubles and the "moral conflicts" associated with her line of profession. There was seldom a job she would turn away from, seldom a target she could not eliminate, yet…as she stared at the girl through the window sleeping peacefully with a teddy bear pressed to her cheek, she found herself wondering, could she do this?

Waller would give her a few more days before assigning the hit to someone else, and she _knew _the woman would; she was driven and single-minded in that way. If Andrea did not pull the trigger, someone else would do it.

Andrea was trembling, her stomach clenched painfully. But if _she _pulled the trigger, who knew what else Waller planned for this poor family, though Andrea could make a guess.

No, Andrea couldn't do this hit, she couldn't. Her gaze turned to the nursery window where a toddler slept in his crib. How could Waller do this? How? Project Batman Beyond, it was a farce!

Andrea stood up from her crouch. This was madness! She would try to persuade Waller against this course of action one last time. She would try to stress that death was not what Batman stood for; that killing would only soil what Cadmus was attempting to do. Batman could not be manufactured, just as they had seen with the Superman clones in the past.

Andrea would try one last time to persuade the justice driven woman, but Andrea would not be a fool. She knew pushing this one more time would convince the woman to hire another assassin to do the job before her time to make a move had expired; she had to plan ahead, she had to keep the hit safe.

Perhaps Waller should have planned more when she had that young father's reproductive DNA spliced with Bruce Wayne's DNA. Waller should have accounted for the possibility that a girl could be produced, and now Waller was trying to correct her mistake by…eliminating the girl so that her younger brother became the sole focus of their project. Because _Batman just could __**not **__be a woman_, she thought sarcastically before shuddering in disgust.

But…if Andrea didn't do the hit, someone else would kill that little girl in that room. Then years down the road, her little brother would have his parents killed before his eyes because that was the trauma Batman had been dealt as a child, and Waller wanted to manufacture Batman…_and hadn't he turned out just fine. _Anger burned in her gut for her and her ex-lover; they had deserved so much more than they had received… and this mad woman was willing to subject another child to that horror, while killing the unneeded child in the process.

Andrea would try one last time and then she would take matters into her own hands; she would keep those children from living with what she and Bruce had, and she had just the plan—a plan that may just heal her bitter ex-lover in the process.

**Neo-Gotham.1**

Andrea watched from a distance as young Terrence McGinnis raced into his father's arms, only to be swung up into the air and perched firmly on his father's shoulders. He laughed in delight, as did his father. The little boy's mother was trying to catch a rapidly moving two-year-old. They were happy, they were unified. Andrea had done the right thing last night by speaking up against Waller's absurd, desperate plan. She had done something good for once…perhaps Bruce would be proud of her for being more than some heartless assassin…

She turned away from the sight with a smile on her face.

**Neo-Gotham.2**

Mary McGinnis woke up groggy after an oddly peaceful night, for once Matt hadn't screamed all night for them. Warren smiled at her from his side of the bed—he must have woke up from her moving around as she tried to stretch herself into waking up. She yawned and proceeded to her daughter Teresa's room in a slow shuffle.

"I'll start a pot of coffee," Warren murmured as he followed her out of their room.

Mary hummed in a tired but pleased way, "Good," the young couple smiled at each other before their paths diverged.

Mary opened her daughter's bedroom door and entered. She was still rubbing sleep from her eyes as she moved toward the small bed to shake her daughter awake, "Time to wake up Terri, de—" her words froze in her mouth as her hand touched a cool, sticky liquid on the bed instead of her daughter's warm body.

She stared down at the tiny bed in disbelief and rising horror. A scream tore from her throat and her legs gave out under her. She grabbed the sheets before her, the blood soaked sheets, and began to sob. She looked around frantically despite her tear-blurred vision. She blurrily saw the curtains around the window move, and she felt the cold air against her shaking body. A strangled sob came out of her as she clutched the bloody sheets tightly.

She was vaguely aware that Matt was crying now and Warren was thundering up the stairs to the room, but all Mary could do was scream and cry for her baby girl. …Her dead baby girl because what else could all this blood mean?

"Mary!" but whatever Warren wanted to say after bursting into the room died as he saw the state of the bed and the open window. Numbly he left the room and went to hush Matt, but even as he picked up his other child…now only child…he found he could not think or feel anything. He had seen the bloody sheets and the pool of blood in the center of the bed, he had seen the open window, but something in his mind still refused to connect it all.

With Matt screaming in one ear while Mary cried for their daughter in the other room, Warren moved to their phone and called the police with one hand. He was shaking and Matt was still screaming in his ear. The receptionist picked up and Warren said out loud what his wife's screams were trying to say, "M-my daughter's been…murdered," the phone slipped from his hand before he covered his face with that hand and began to sob. His legs gave way under him and he slumped to the ground crying for his child.

**Gotham.1**

Andrea cradled the little girl to her chest. The eight-year-old was bleeding profusely from her stomach and would likely be unconscious for a day if not more. Andrea raced through the old familiar streets toward the Gotham General. She had changed out of her Phantasm outfit and tried to seem as normal as possible, but in her coat pocket thumped the device that brought her here, brought her back to the old town she had loved and hated.

She burst into the ER, "Help!" she screamed, and an attendant ran to her to take the girl from her arms, "I-I found her bleeding in an alley not far from here; she didn't respond when I called her name."

"You should have called the paramedics," the attendant snapped as several other physicians rushed to the girl's side as she was set onto a gurney.

"Prep an OR," one doctor ordered to an attending nurse who raced off to relay the message.

The attendant addressing Andrea motioned her toward a seat, "We'll need you to give a statement to the police," Andrea nodded numbly and continued to tremble as if in shock.

"O-of course."

"Do you know the victim?" the attendant asked.

"No," Andrea shook her head and looked back at the little girl. "I don't know her," she focused back on the attendant, "Will she be alright? Do you think it could have been a gang?"

"That would be a question for the police." Andrea nodded and the attendant and left quickly afterwards, though not before implying she could not leave until the police had questioned her unless she wished to implicate herself.

Andrea would play along. She had a fake ID prepared for her of a woman she did happen to look like—if not a little slimmer. Unfortunately—for the police—this woman was beginning to suffer from Alzheimer's, and so when the police followed up on the report, whenever that would be, it would be reasoned away why the woman seemingly forgot about the whole incident.

Andrea worried a piece of her coat between her fingers as she waited and thought about the previous night. Waller had, surprisingly, given Andrea one last time to prove herself with this hit. Though, unsurprisingly, Andrea overheard the woman ordering someone else to follow up on the McGinnis' and finish the girl off if Andrea didn't kill her.

So Andrea had snuck into the girl's room as Phantasm, covered her mouth and sliced expertly across her stomach. If she had been left there for several hours, she would have bleed out and died, but Andrea had let the blood soak the sheets some before taking her out of the room through the window. She then headed toward the old Gotham General as quickly as she could.

Once reaching an alley close to the former hospital, Andrea pulled out a piece of technology Cadmus had invented some time ago, though for whatever reason did not use it. She knew it worked, and that it sent those within a four foot radius into the past the specified number of years one programmed it to. After that, she seeped fog into the alley and set the girl down in on the ground. Andrea had changed out of Phantasm and then proceeded to rush the girl to the hospital. When Andrea returned to Neo-Gotham, she would claim she stashed the body, but the evidence was there; a message to Cadmus that she had done her job.

Andrea was confident the little girl would live, beyond the shadow of a doubt. She had planned it carefully. Here the girl could live in safety, and perhaps… but no, that was too hopeful, though Bruce would come to know this littler girl; Andrea had made sure of it. It would be another day before the doctors noticed the slow acting poison destroying the child's kidney, but thankfully Wayne Tech had made great strides in medical cloning, and after slipping the girl's name to the top of the list, they would quickly find her the right tissue donor (Bruce).

Andrea looked up as a shadow fell over her, the police were here and it was time act confused before remembering and explaining what happened. The girl would be safe here in the past.

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_**A suivre**_

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**A/N:** Yes, this is going to be a story of parallel dimensions, time travel, genderbent Terry and Dana (because Dana and Terry are just too perfect together, and I have tired finding another match for fem Terry, and it is not easy), violence, and the occasional fluffy family scene and eventually dating scenes. Gotham.1 (neo or not) is with male Terry born to the McGinnis family, Gotham.2 is with female Terry born to the McGinnis family and male Dana born to the Tan family. Is it clear now why Cadmus doesn't use their time travel device much? Most of the story will be Gotham.1 and Neo-Gotham.2 with a few scenes later on from Neo-Gotham.1, but not much of Gotham.2 (which is like cannon backstory to _Young Justice_ and _Batman Beyond_). Hope you all enjoyed the chapter ~ much loved, depressedchildren


	2. Chapter 2: Beginnings pt 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Batman Beyond _or _Young Justice_, they belong to their respective producers, writers, animators, etc. I gain nothing but writing and editing experience, as well as a fun writing outlet.

**Summary: **Each decision creates a ripple of change; new possibilities open up and others are shut down. The unthinkable may be done in the name of justice, in the name of hope. Drastic measures are taken, and three lonely lives are changed forever. _Warning:_ parallel dimensions, time travel, genderbent Terry and Dana, violence, the occasional fluffy family scene, non-linear storytelling, and flashbacks.

**A/N: **So…I've debated on how I am going to tell this story, and the background stuff you'll get from Bruce in NeoGotham.1, while Gotham.1 will go through the young justice story, and NeoGotham.2 will be Batman Beyond with modifications. All of these will be linear in their story telling (for the most part), but I'm not going from where Andrea left them up through Batman Beyond in a straight line. So in some places it's going to feel like a puzzle where more and more pieces come together to create the full image.

Lastly, I have a question for any readers who do enjoy and want to continue reading this. It was suggested that I separate each universe into its own chapter, which I can do and will if how it is at present is too confusing, but each section will hopefully feed into and off of the others sections, so I am hesitant to separate each one into chapters. So…I will post this chapter as I initially intended it for a month; after which point, if it is still too confusing, I will take the chapter down and upload the first universe with the first chapter content and second chapter content (because each individual universe chapter would be longer than if by themselves). Please let me know, thank you and enjoy ~ with love, depressedchildren

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**Chapter 2:** Beginnings part 1

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**NeoGotham.1—Rebirth **

He looked back toward the open passage to the Batcave before glaring out of the window at the teen walking down the manor path with Ace at his heels. That boy, he had seen it all.

The old man rubbed his face tiredly and moved back toward the passageway hidden behind an old grandfather clock. He carefully made his way down the stairs as his cane thudded on each step like a painful reminder of his own decrepit state. Once at the bottom of the stairs, he began to breathe heavily, likely remnants from the earlier fight with that band of Jokerz—a tussle with a bunch of hoodlums and he was about to go into cardiac arrest…old age was infuriating.

He looked at the line of cases with suits in them and set his hand against the glass. He stared at his reflection superimposed over the modified suit he had made in the hopes of…in the foolish hope that Batman could continue on with the times.

Leaning heavily on his cane, he examined the six suits. Next to the modified Batsuit was the Nightwing suit. Shame filled him along with anger at himself. He should have trained with Dick before going on that mission. Batman had been acting solo for too long and it was a needless accident; he should have remembered his first rule of working with partners…never land in front of them when the enemy had a gun. The cape may have made _him_ harder to hit, but Dick had been right behind the cape, _stupid old man. _Dick never forgave him, and Bruce could not blame him.

Next to Nightwing was Nightingale. He bowed his head as he clenched his cane tightly. The suit was dark blue with brown and looked so much like Nightwing's, only it was made for Barbra. Should he have ever dragged her into this life? Did she still resent him for not allowing her the title of Batgirl; did she eventually come to understand why he could not give it to her? She may have started out with her handmade Batgirl costume until he took her under his wing, but he would have never allowed her to keep such a title, and it had made her so angry. But she had all rights to resent him for so much more than just that. So much more…like all of them.

It was his fault; his enemies were targeting Batman_, _butDick, Tim, Jason, Barbra… They were only in the line of fire, and in Dick's case literally. The Joker, he had hurt them all to get at Batman, but hadn't Batman created the Joker? Wasn't it _his _interference, his drive for justice and revenge that led to Red Hood's fall into that chemical vat? The insanity ensued from there, and the Joker went on to hurt everyone Batman loved irreparably…well, almost everyone.

His gaze turned to the glass case holding the ever-so small Batgirl suit, the first version. "Terri…" he murmured as he tried to push back the knot in his throat and the burning in his eyes. He could remember the day she entered his life, his daughter…

He had been Batman for almost two years and was still only fighting against mob bosses and gangsters when Gotham General had called him at his office. He had assumed they were only calling Bruce Wayne to tell him that they were prepared to test or had succeeded in cloning organs for transplant. But no…they had needed him as a donor; he had been a nearly perfect match to the patient, which should have been impossible except in the case of family.

He smiled grimly at the memory, for as soon as the doctor had explained how compatible he was to the patient, he had thought two things: one, Batman could not be on any more donor lists for identity security reasons; and two, this patient was his relative. Even then, so early in his career, he had been paranoid of discovery that the possibility of biological family was pushed to a secondary position.

The old man shook his head and moved to the seat in front of the supercomputer. One of his most vivid memories, and most difficult decisions occurred that day:

_Bruce Wayne, young and rising CEO of Wayne Industries, was in a hurry to get to Gotham General. He knew it was best not to hope—a painful, lonely childhood had taught him that those he loved could be ripped from his grasp so simply. But…he may very well have family, perhaps an aunt or uncle; someone who could help him restore the hazy memories of his parents, and perhaps provide him with images of more than just their bloody deaths. In his initial elation, he could forgive that they had not been there for him after his parents' death, for in this moment, he potentially had family. _

_He had to use all his charms to convince the doctor to let him see the patient he would be donating tissue for, but he should have known…__**Batman**__ should have known that no doctor would have allowed such a request, particularly when the doctor's expression was so uncertain, and hesitant, as if the doctor already knew that he may not like what he discovered about this patient. _

_As they moved toward the ICU, the doctor spoke quickly and professionally, "The patient was brought in here Tuesday morning by a passerby." It was Thursday now, but what concerned him more was that his relative had been found by a passerby—was this passerby innocent, why was there even a passerby—though before he could ponder on this or ask the doctor what he meant, the man continued speaking, "Jane Doe's stomach had been cut open and she was left to bleed-out in an alley," and that explained why there had been a passerby, "We only recently discovered trace elements of poison in her system but it has begun to deteriorate her kidneys."_

_He had an aunt then, an aunt who had been mugged? But what muggers used poisoned weapons, and why did his aunt not have any ID on her? However, as they doctor opened the door to Jane Doe's room, these thoughts came crashing to a halt. Inside the room was a child lying on the bed; a child…perhaps no more than eight or nine, probably only seven years old. _

_The implication hit him like a train, and in his mind he thought back to his early twenties, to any nights he could not quite remember. How? How? He had always used protection, even when it was not the "in" thing to do, and so many of his former bed-partners had assured him they were on some form of birth control. So how could there be a child on that bed who so closely matched him genetically?_

"_H-How," he grimaced at the stutter in his voice and he tried again with a stronger tone, "How close is the match?"_

_The doctor's lips were pressed into a firm line, "Very close, parent or sibling close."_

_His gaze flickered between the doctor and the child on the bed, the little girl… She had black hair like him and his parents, but many people had black hair…. How could she be there!? Part of his mind was still going over any blurred nights but nothing,__** nothing, **__was coming to him. _

"_We will be hard pressed to find a more compatible match," the doctor spoke up and he turned alarmed; had the doctor thought that he would not donate the tissue now?_

"_Of course," he tried to focus entirely on the doctor but his gaze kept drifting back to the child on the bed, "Take whatever sample you need, but…" did he really want to know for certain? "could you also run a paternity test?" As much as he might try to hope, there was no way she could be a sibling, simply no way, but how could she be his daughter?_

_The doctor nodded slowly before he guided him out of the room to administer the tests and take the tissue sample for cloning. Perhaps Batman could come in later and misplace any remaining samples of his DNA, but no…that could be suspicious, could implicate him. _

_Though these thoughts were trying desperately to occupy him, all he could think about was if the paternity test came back positive. What then? What would he do? Did he take this child in? What if her mother wanted nothing to do with him, and that was why she never went to him. Should he even set himself up for that rejection? Did he even want a child? He was Batman, and although the name was not feared or renowned yet outside of criminal circles, he imagined someday it would be…did he want a child to grow up into that?_

_The world passed by him in a blur as he waited in a sterile lobby for the test results on the paternity test. He could not shut his mind off; it was thinking, thinking, thinking. _

_It had been two days, surely there was a missing person's report out and he would not have to worry about needing to adopt the child, right? _

_But what if she is his daughter, he should visit her, yes? Did he want to be in her life? Did he want her to be any more in his life than she already was? _

_He should take his name off all donor lists, immediately. _

_Did he have any more illegitimate children? Did he want children? Should he get a vasectomy? They were reversible, weren't they?_

_Each sequence of thoughts came one after another, he felt sick and his thoughts were becoming strange. A shadow fell on him and he looked up to see the doctor. _

_Were the test results already done? How long had he sat here? He should get back to work. Was the office closed now?_

"_This seems to have shocked you greatly, Mr. Wayne," The doctor did not sound very impressed with him, and he couldn't blame the man. "The results have come back," he handed him a manila folder, which he accepted with a strangely steady hand, considering the internal dilemma he was facing. _

_He opened the folder and pulled the test results out. He scanned over it quickly and felt his insides freeze. He was a father…he slipped the paper back inside the folder and looked up at the doctor._

"_Has anyone…" he wasn't sure how to phrase his question. Come to claim her? No, she was a child not a possession. "Are there any missing persons' reports matching her description?" he began again. _

"_None yet, though perhaps some will come soon." _

_He could only nod his head before his gaze was drawn toward the ICU. The doctor shifted and he turned back to the other man, "Are you considering taking her in if no one…" the doctor trailed off and they both looked back toward the ICU. _

_Yes…no…he wasn't sure how to answer, but he was nodding his head somehow. The doctor sighed, "Perhaps…" the man began, "seeing as you are biologically," his hand made a circular motion, "you could sit in her room until visiting hours end."_

_He nodded his head to the suggestion; perhaps this could help him decide. And for the next several hours he did sit in that ICU alternating his stare between his…his daughter and the test results. Was this real?_

_When he gazed at her, he noticed small things that could have very well been his own subjectivity after learning he was her father, but they still unsettled him. She had his mother's nose, his father's ears, but overall her face was softer, and not simply because she was a child. Hours slipped by, but he was unaware of his own hunger or the stiffness in his body from sitting in a hard, uncomfortable chair most of the day. Then…there was activity on one of the monitors, her heart beat picked up when her eyes opened and she scanned the area. She was confused and frightened; she was panicking, but fatigue claimed her again. _

_Yet in that small moment when he had seen her eyes…he knew beyond numbers and words on a paper that this child was his… she had his eyes, his exact eyes Cold blue eyes that calculated the area around her, even at such a young age, even when she was so lost and confused. _

_He got up then and left the room; he had made his decision—unless her mother came and said he was to do nothing with her—he would take her in. As he left the building, a random thought came to him, though he should have been worrying about it all day, what about Julie? He should tell her. But tell her what? _I have an illegitimate child whom I cannot recall conceiving because of my younger years and partying?_ He scoffed at the thought. She barely tolerated his flirting at company functions; this would likely be the tipping point for her. He only hoped he was wrong. Would Julie make him choose between the potential family he could have with her, or the family he had in his new-found daughter?_

The old man before the supercomputer sighed heavily. He opened a folder on the desktop. Pictures lined up in thumbnails before him. Little Terri wearing the pink dresses she hated but was too cautious with him to say anything until Dick joined their family. Their first Christmas together…he had taken her sledding. Then going to Haly's circus that tragic day that eventually lead to Dick joining their family. After that, the pick dresses were replaced with shorts and jeans; she dressed like Dick, acted like Dick…

He smiled sadly, she had been a bit of a tom-boy but she quickly grew-out of that freshman year of high school because of some boy. He still wasn't sure who her boyfriend had been, but he almost wished that he hadn't threatened Kaldur away from his daughter—not that the good solider would have dated her, simply out of courtesy to his superior.

The old man shook his head and quickly closed the folder; it was too painful to go through these photos, though that boy tonight had prompted it by resurfacing the past.

**Gotham.1—Independence Day**

He wondered at times, was he making the right choice? When Batman watched them moving together, the answer was yes. They protected each other, and moved in sync. They didn't really need him anymore, but then something would happen; one of them would slip and get hurt, and to him it felt like the world had stopped for a moment. And he questioned himself. How could he do this to them? How could he drag both of them into his dark world? But had he dragged them? Or had they burst their way in?

He had started on this road before either of them came into his life and stayed. He had only wanted Dick to not turn out like him, to put his parents' murderers behind bars before it embittered him beyond repair. But Terri…she only wanted to protect them. He should have never agreed, no matter the tantrum she gave him. Though still, it always pained her when he and Dick came home injured, and she would do all she could to patch them up; even when Alfred came into their family, she continued to patch them up holding back tears and chastisements. So eventually he caved, and he created Batgirl after both Dick and he had trained her extensively.

Dick had complained once and only once about her being called Batgirl—_Is it because she's you're daughter that she gets to be a bat?_—because Terri had tackled him and began screaming that he was her brother and _Dad loves us both equally!_

They fought and made up like siblings, they planned pranks and were mischievous like twins; they were his children, which always made it hard to let and see them fight crime. Yet… looking at them now…

They took Freeze out entirely by themselves. Dick distracted him by jumping over him while Terri came from behind to knock him flat back. Then Dick finished it by busting the glass protecting Freeze from the heat. They were an efficient team, which made him wonder if he was making the right choice this time.

He could barely stand the thought of one of them leaving to go on their own, but both of them? No!

Yes, he had let them guard Gotham on several occasions when his duty to the Justice League called him away, but in Gotham they knew what they would be up against, and he could keep a better eye on them. But…he needed to push these insecurities and concerns to the side; they had five years under their belts (Terri's experience was closer to four but the detective component of the job had always come naturally to her). Besides, it wasn't as if they would be in danger, this was only a sort of graduation step toward the Justice League, not actual admittance into it.

"Can we go now?" Terri asked in exasperation beside Dick who nodded his head in agreement. They both had their hands on their hips and looked testy. He chuckled at his charges and called the plane to them while the police took over things.

Once the plane arrived, the kids let out relieved sighs, "Finally!" Dick announced and the two acrobats quickly jumped into the plane and their seats. He just shook his head at their antics, though it reinforced his decision, they were not ready for the League; they were only candidates, well Dick was, perhaps in another year Terri would be too—he would still put both of them into the system so that Terri could at least us the zeta tubes.

Terri looked over at her brother, adopted brother but whatever, and could tell he was just as excited as she was. Their eyes caught each other, _You excited? _ They had mastered the art of communicating with a glance, at least amongst each other. It had begun even before she donned the Batgirl costume, and it certainly helped their reputation at school as being twins.

_Totally! This is going to kick butt!_

_No duh!_

_This is the day!_ They both looked forward again, though they were practically vibrating in their seats. It was almost as exciting as the time they had both gone to nationals in the juniors division for gymnastics and Dad got to watch them—they didn't place on purpose lest someone see the similarities between them and their alter egos, but it had still been exciting.

In no time they were there in DC before the Hall of Justice! So cool! However, Terri's enthusiasm stilled for a moment, which caused both Dick and Dad to stare at her. She forced her smile back in place, but it was times like these she wondered what her life could have been like. Unconsciously, her hand gravitated toward her stomach where an ugly, long scar was hidden by her costume.

Dad and Dick were on either side of her and they brushed their arms against her in their silent, discreet way of offering comfort. She forced her smile to be broader, but it was hard. Her mother and the man she had thought was her father were hazy memories to her now, but she wondered always…she always wondered why in her dreams Gotham was so much bigger than in reality and why she dreamed of hovering cars. She used to think she was from some other time, but she wasn't crazy, so she never talked about it—even when she first woke up, she never talked about it.

"Batman, Robin, Batgirl," Terri had heard two sets of feet approaching, but she also recognized the speaker, so she turned to greet the newcomers.

"Aqualad!?" she had meant to greet Aquaman, but her eyes had gone straight to the boy she barely recognized…well maybe boy didn't fit him anymore…Whoa! He was at least a foot taller than the last time she had seen him, and his muscles were so much more defined, though he was still proportional.

Dick snickered beside her, and she felt her face flush, but was thankful that her cap and mask covered her cheeks. Dad made a noise that wasn't his usual neutral hum, but it wasn't angry either…maybe it was concerned? Aqualad gave her a soft smile and nodded his head, though Aquaman was laughing and clapped his protégée on the back.

"What's so funny Aquaman?" Green arrow asked, now approaching with a Speedy at his side. Speedy was taller than the last time Terri had seen him but she didn't feel as nonplused about seeing him as she had Aqualad.

Dad made another noise and turned away from them and she glanced over at Dick who was trying not to laugh outright. She glared at him, asking what was so funny, but that only made him bite his cheeks to keep from laughing.

Folding her arms over her chest she gave the amused males a very annoyed look, "Hey Speedy," she greeted calmly.

"Where was your earlier enthusiasm, Batgirl?" Dick teased. Green Arrow's eyebrows shot up and Speedy raised one eyebrow, while Aqualad frowned in confusion.

"What?!" Terri hissed at her super annoying brother, god he only got like this around Wally and…ugh, he was going to be here soon too. Dick was going to be unbearable. "We never see Aqualad, and we saw Speedy last month for that hostage scenario."

"Ah," Aqualad laughed a little nervously, "It's nice to see you all again, my friends." Dick was sobering up now and gave his usual cocky smile at Aqualad and Speedy gave his own greeting.

The two blonde men glanced at each other for a moment before glancing over at Dad and almost laughing. Terri and Dick caught this and they both surreptitiously glanced at their Dad who was staring straight ahead, er, well glaring straight ahead of him. Dick seemed to get something she didn't and began bite his cheeks again to keep from laughing.

_What,_ her look practically screamed. Dick just gave a cheeky smile as if to say _you'll learn soon enough. _ She glared back at him, and to think she had patched him up and saved his ass countless time and this was her thanks. Er…well, he saved her just as much as she him but…Terri turned and looked straight forward at the crowds of people lined up before the Hall of Justice.

The others got in their places and began to wave at the reporters. As Batman's protégés, they did not get to wave and smile, they had to stand there stoically. That was when she felt the wind shift and new the Flashes were here.

"Man, I knew we'd get here last!" the irony was not lost on any of them that the two fastest people in the world were usually he latest. Wally's tone shifted and Terri saw him give her a smirk, "Hey Batgirl," and nod his head. Ugh…It was satisfying to hear Wally eep as Dad turned to look at him, he probably had a slight glare.

Flash laughed a little nervously, "Ah, he still hasn't figured out whose off limits, sorry Bats." Dad probably just glared more at this. However, with the arrivals of the brightly colored Flashes, their initiation ceremony was underfoot. Nothing could get in the way of this day being awesome!

**Neo-Gotham.2—Rebirth**

Dane Tan rolled his shoulders as he walked beside his girlfriend of two years. She always had this serious sort of air around her, and there would be this far off look in her eye sometimes. She held her computer and notebook in her arms like they were old fashioned text-books; in fact, a lot about Terri was old-fashioned. Like that she always wore these pleated skirts and a blazer to school, like they had a uniform, but Hamilton Hill was far from enforcing a uniform. He liked the pleated skirts, don't get him wrong, but she just looked like some school girl from the 2000s.

Terri also didn't wear very fashionable clothes or makeup. He could think of one time that he saw her wearing some combat boots and the sleek fitting electric colored tops that were all the rage, and that was just because Chelsea had forced her into them. Honestly, when they went out she wore a skirt or jeans with a plain t-shirt and a leather jacket. She was also fond of large sunglasses for some reason, but always the retro looking ones. But he liked that about her. It was like she became two different people between school and their private time. She was so prime and proper at school and then they'd go to Mr. G's gym and she'd become the girl he fell in love with…ah, not that he's ever confessed that.

"I can't believe you lost that match to Nelson," Terri practically spat out the name in disgust. She then glanced at him out of the corner of her eye with that crazy, devious smirk of hers, "Do I need to teach you how to properly wrestle again?"

"Depends on which kind of wrestling," he replied, dropping his voice as he moved closer to her.

She stopped walking and leaned against a building as she examined him through her eyelashes. She was allowing him to move into her personal space, he knew this. She tilted her head to the side as Dane set one hand on her hip, "I was thinking both kinds."

Dane groaned, and stepped back a little, "Can't we skip the practical wrestling and just practice the private type?" He gave her an almost imploring look and she gave him an unimpressed one in return.

"Don't be such a big baby," she rolled her eyes and Dane was about to comment on how he had bruises all along his back from her judo-throwing him, but the relative silence of the street was broken by bikes roaring down the road followed by raucous laughter.

"Jokerz," Dane hissed and began to run with Terri down the street until they could pull into an alley, but they didn't make it in time and six bikes circled around him, shit. No, make that double shit, they recognized him. Dane moved to block Terri from them.

"Well if it isn't boss' traitor brother." The stand-in leader sneered as he climbed off his bike, "First you go to Big Time's crew and then turn your back your brother and turn him in."

Dane could feel the tension in the air mount. This was his brother's old crew and they hated Dane so much. A set of hands grabbed his arm and he threw the dreg over his shoulder like Terri had taught him. He tried to fight them like Terri and Charlie had taught him, but he was soon being held up by two of the dregs while the leader began punching him in the gut. He tensed his muscles like Terri taught him to help absorb the blow, but he still ended up coughing blood as the wind was knocked out of him.

"Leave him alone," Terri's voice was hard and cut through the Jokerz' laughs like a knife.

"You the traitor's girl, right?" the leader asked and one of his lackeys moved to grab her.

"Don't touch her!" He tried to fight their hold before things got out of hand. The leader took this the wrong way and smirked at him viciously.

One of his lackeys knocked her computer and notebook out of her arms while the leader moved into Terri's personal space. He ran his finger up the front of her shirt before tilting Terri's chin up to look at him. One dreg grabbed Dane's hair and pulled his head back so he'd have a "better view."

The leader laughed and brushed his thumb against Terri's lips and Dane closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to see. But he still heard, he heard the leader howl in pain, and then there was a sickening snap as a bone was broken followed by a strangled scream.

The arms on Dane left him and Dane nearly slumped to the ground, but he stumbled to stay up right as he heard the sounds of fighting. He could never watch Terri when she snapped. Hearing the grunts of pain, the snapping bones, the screams and yells that called her a demon… they were bad enough. He always wanted to figure out who did this to her, who made her this way, and beat the bastards, but he didn't know and he probably never would.

Terri told him after the first incident that she had been kidnapped and held in a facility that trained her to be a weapon. Sometimes she forgot where she was and just…snapped. Dane opened his eyes in time to see Terri grab one dreg's arm as she pushed him to the ground before stomping on his shoulder as she tugged on the arm, promptly dislocating it and causing the clown to pass out from the pain.

He stood still as Terri slowly began to turn toward him, "Babe," he began cautiously, but she still had that hard look in her eyes and she began to run at him. He let her punch him, and he stumbled backwards as lights exploded across his vision. Then he was hit in the chest and he quickly moved to warp his arms around her body and trap her arms against his chest, "Babe, they're out," he gasped as she tried to hit him and get out of his grasp.

Terri's brutal fighting came from moving fast and using her opponents' strength against them, any attempt at blocking her blows was then used as leverage to send her opponent to the ground. Any attempt to attack her, she did the same thing, grabbed the appendage in a vice like grip and could break or dislocate the limb from there as well as toss the opponent to the ground. But all Dane had to do was immobilize her and use his strength against her in a way that she could not manipulate. "Babe, the fighting is all over, it's all over."

Terri began to calm down now and she blinked as she looked around as if confused at where she was. She looked at him in surprise and shame, "Dane, I'm…"

"It's okay; let's get you to Mr. G." Terri nodded and stepped over the groaning Jokerz until she picked up her busted computer and notebook. She looked at them with some remorse before moving back over to Dane. He tried to give her a smile but it fell short.

He took one step forward but stumbled. Terri was there to catch him under the arm, and together they began to shuffle toward Mr. G's gym.

Once they got to the gym, the ex-cop took one look at him and shook his head. "You know where the first-aid is, go use it." Dane nodded sheepishly and moved about to get what he needed, while Terri stood in front of Mr. G not looking at him as he gave her his disappointed look.

Dane looked back at Terri for a moment and noticed her knuckles were bleeding; maybe he should bring the first-aid kit out with him and they could patch each other up? He grabbed the box and quietly moved back toward the gym but slowed when he heard Mr. G's incredulous tone.

"Really? Because some Jokerz had your boyfriend pinned? That happens once a week."

"No it doesn't." Terri retorted, though Dane's bruised muscles liked to say that it did, though he was a target to his brother's gang and rivals, as well as Big Time's rival gangs.

"Pretty soon they'll notice you're faking them." Faking what? Her episodes? Dane held on tightly to the medical box in his hand; he was shaking.

"Maybe that would be for the best." There was a tense silence after Terri's bitter words.

"Considering what Cadmus had trained you for, that wouldn't be the best idea." Terri scoffed at Mr. G's comment. Cadmus…wasn't that that biological cloning facility, well no, they did genetics too, but…did that mean Terri was a clone? But of who?

"What! And pretending some military had abducted me to make a child solider's any better?" Terri paused briefly, "Though that's what you keep saying you were, right Dick?" Terri sneered, angry and hurt. Dane knew, or had thought he'd know, that the six years Terri had been missing, she was in the hold of some secret organization that had tortured and trained her to be a weapon; hence why she snapped and had violent episodes, but now that wasn't true…but then that kind of made since if all those episodes had been fakes.

"I wish they had programed more of my memories into you," the way Mr. G said this in such a low tone told Dane this was meant to hurt Terri a lot, "so at least then you can realize how naïve you are for idolizing him still," Mr. G's voice rose in volume as he said this last part.

"Why can't you just be the Dick I knew?!" Terri cried; her voice tight as if she was fighting back tears, and then he heard the door slam shut.

"Dane, you should go catch Terri!" Mr. G yelled and Dane stiffened before haltingly moving from his hiding spot. Mr. G stilled when he saw that Dane had been so close, and Mr. G knew Dane had heard almost all of their conversation.

"What the hell?" Dane asked shakily.

Mr. G stared at him with his lone eye for a long moment, "She's not a clone, if you were wondering."

Dane nodded, "And what was this shit about her having your memories?"

Mr. G looked away for a moment, "Cadmus did it to make her think…" he shook his head, "just go get her before she gets hurt."

"She said you were a child solider! You lived with old man Wayne when you were a kid so—" Mr. G's glare froze Dane to his spot.

"Go, now." Shaking, Dane raced out of the gym, ignoring his bruised body. He had a feeling he knew where Terri was going, and he hurried after her. At least he now knew who the bastards were that messed Terri up, but then, she was faking all those episodes, but why?

As Dane began to run, ignoring his bruised ribs, his phone began to ring. Sticking the bud in his ear he answered with a wheeze, "Hello?"

"_Dane,"_ it was Mr. McGinnis, _"Do you know what your father has been working on at Wayne Powers?" _he sounded almost distracted.

"Wha?" Dane slowed in his run and looked around. Why was Mr. McGinnis asking him this, he could just ask Dane's dad—they were friends at work and had reluctantly bonded over his and Terri's relationship. "I dunno, some new chemical compound, a gas I think…" he answered distractedly.

Mr. McGinnis made a noise, and then there was a distracted pause, _"Dane, the police just called and said they found a bunch of Jokerz in bad shape, did Terri…"_

Fake an episode, apparently yes! "Yeah," he said shortly and tried to push back the betrayal he felt, "and she and Mr. G had a fight." He heard Mr. McGinnis mumble something about, "so that's why she wasn't picking up."

"_Look,"_ Mr. McGinnis began in a tired tone, _"I don't want you kids out anymore; just get back home."_ Dane was about to hang up when Mr. McGinnis spoke up again, _"Oh, and Dane, give your father my best wishes, Mr. Powers said he came down with something and had to go home,"_ there was almost a question in Mr. McGinnis' tone, like he doubted that was actually the case.

"Ah…okay, I'll bring Terri home and check on my dad for you."

"_Thank you." _

Frowning, Dane called his mother, "Hey Mom?"

"_Dane? I thought Mr. Grayson didn't allow phones during practice." _Since Dane started dating Terri, they had been going to Mr. G's gym to learn acrobatics, though Terri was crazy good—like Olympic good.

Dane sighed, "Terri got in a fight with him and ran," he heard his mother hum in displeasure, "Look, Mom, Mr. McGinnis just called and sounded worried about Dad, did he come home sick?"

"_What? No, he hasn't come home yet, and Mr. Powers just called to tell me he was at a very critical point in their recent chemical experiments."_ Dane swallowed thickly.

"Ah, okay, I'm going to go get Terri home. I'll probably stay at the McGinnis', and maybe we'll go out. She's really upset." His mother hummed again but consented and they said goodbye. Dane pulled out the phone from his ear and put it back in his pocket. He then continued on his run. Undoubtedly when he found Terri she'd be calm and wouldn't want to talk, then when they got the McGinnis' where Mr. McGinnis will get in a fight with Terri about the fight with the Jokerz, and then Terri will run out again. He'll have to chase after her again, and they'd probably go to the club so she could just forget the world for a little while and calm down completely. Though he really wanted to know what the hell she had been talking about with Mr. G. What had Cadmus wanted with Terri?

* * *

**TBC**

* * *

**A/N:  
**Confusing? You'll get Neo-Gotham.2 Terri's perspective soon on this, and yes Dane's Dad took place of Warren's friend who had been experimented on with the nerve gas. Dane also has more of Terry's back story though I included things from the graphic novels-like the fact that Dana's brother was a Jokerz leader. As for Gotham.1, don't worry, I won't make you all slog through a rehashing of the Cadmus raid, though Terri does go on it. Anyways, I hope this was interesting and not too confusing. If y'all would rather I did one universe at a time, I'll do that. Updates will be slow because I have way too many other stories going on right-from Batman Beyond to Naruto, to a cross over I really should have updated months ago. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed ~ much loved, depressedchildren


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